Stuffing-box.



MARTIN HILL ITTNEE, or JERSEY CITI?, NEW JERSEY.

sTUEEnve-Eox.

' Specification of I'tters Patent.

Application led May 6., 1914. .y Serial No. 836,623.

To all 'whomlz'vt mayv concern. y

Be it known that I, MARTIN HILL ITTNER,

a citizenof the United States, residing at Jersey City, Hudson county, State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and use# ful Improvements in StuIing-Boxes; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear,` and exact description of thefinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art towhich it appertains4 to make and use the same.

My invention relates to certain new and i useful improvements in stuling boxes, and

is particularly applicable for use in connection with apparatus wherein a shaft is adapted to revolve about its axis vat a high rate 0f speed and where it is desirable to provide a perfect seal against the passage of gas or'vapor through the stuiing 'box in either direction, even when a considerable difference in pressure' exists between the gas or vapor on one side ofthe stuiing box and the gas or vapor. *on the other side thereof, and particularly where it is further desir-. able that the stuffing box shall exert a very limited amount of frictional resistance to the revolution of the shaft.

The stutling box of the present inventionl is especially useful in cases where thev shaft operates within a liquid which is t o be treated with a gas or within a l1`quid wh1ch is to be treated with a solid and a gas, and,` used for -suchl particularly, when the gas treatment is different from sirable to exclude the air.

So also, the'stufling box of the present tir and a is deinvention permits the treatment of liquids, or liquids and solids, within a closed vessel substantially in the absence of the air or of other gases, in all cases where the rotation of a shaft within such closed lvessel is desirable and wherein it is desirable to vex clude the air therefrom. For instance, the stuffing box of the present invention is especially helpful in cases where it is desirable to'operate `a centrifugal pump within a closed vessel, by means of a rotatory shaft driving the pump and passing through a wall of the vessel so as to be driven Afrom without, as is desirable in certain physical and chemical processes which require, for their safety and efficiency, a satisfactory stuffing box` of the character indicated.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 represents, in vertical section, and partial I elevation, a stuffing box embodying my invention as applied to the cover of a vessel Patented Jan. 23, 1917.

within which the shaft is designed tooperate; f

Fig. 2 represents a View taken on the line 2 -2 of Fig. 1 and illustrates partly in sectlon and 4partly in plan (certain parts be-v ing shownas broken away), the construction of the main constituent parts of the stung box. v

Similar letters of reference indicate simi- ,lar parts in both views.

Referring to the drawing, T indicates a portion of thecover of a closed vessel withvInwhieh is adapted to rotate the shaft S,

supported on bearings inany usual man'- Vner, (not shown) as, for instance, by roller bearings or ball bearings' located on the shaft either within the vessel or without, or both withinand without, so as to permit the shaft to turn freely about its axis, but without longitudinal movement, and so that its axis shall befxed with respect to the cover T. Attached to the shaft S, and revolving lwith it, is aninverted cup E which is rigidly attached to a disk D, which latter. as.

shown, is preferably, though not necessarily, integral with the cup. vAn inner cup C is located intermediate Iof the inverted cup E and the shaft S and is separated from the latter by 'an'intervening annular space,.as shown. The cup C is provided with a-disklike base having a projection a, whereby it is rigidly connected to the top T,l as, for instance, by screw threads as shown. The cup C is provided with a cover B rigidly bolted vor otherwise secured thereto and which 4terminates in a tubular projection B vspaced apart froml the inverted cup E. A cooling jacket J' is provided with an inlet I'and an outlet O whereby cooling water 'may circu late around B. Attached to theshaft S and revolving with it, on the underside of the cover T is the disk d. vBelow this disk d' is a drip cup c attached'to the cover T and* adapted to be drained by a pipe F, as shown.

`The =operation of the stufliing box is as' cup E and disk D is filled with a suitable .follows:'The space containing the inverted half way up the inverted cup E. The liquid used for this purpose may be water, oil or mercury, or other liquid as the exigenciesof the casemay require. The liquid forms. a

ihydraulic seal which effectively prevents the passage of gas or vapor from thel atmos- .phere inward between the cup .C and the shaft S, and the liquid likewise serves to eifectually prevent the outward passage of gas or vapor from the covered receptacle. The liquid referred to will therefore form a seal that will be eective against thepassage of gas or vapor through the space which it occupies until the difference in pressurev within the covered vessel and outside of the vessel (or, in other words, until the diiference in pressure on the liquid within the inverted cup) and the pressure on. the liquid 4outside ofthe inverted .cup is sufficient to alter the natural level of the liquid on either side thereof and to force gas or vapor past the periphery of the disk D.V The action at any cross section throughy the axis of the -its axis, and'withv it the inverted cup E and the disk D, the liquid within the space surrounding the revolving disk is pressed with increased force ,toward the periphery of the -disk D. As the speed of the ldisk D increases, the liquid about D is pressed with correspondingly greater force toward the periphery of the disk. This increasing pressure o f'the liquid in the space surrounding the disk D and toward theperiphery thereof i 'and which is due to the revolution of D about the axis of the shaft S is equivalent, in

"effect, to increasing the'specific gravity of the .liquid, and permits it to .serve more effectively as a seal against the passage of gas or air out of or intothe vessel closed by the cover T.

To further liken a section through the 4axis of the shaft Sl and through C, B, to a .section through a U-tube, the revolutionl of the disk D through the liquid in which it is immersed is equivalent, in effect, to increasing the acion of gravity on the liquid within the two arms of the U-tube,thus increasing the pressure necessary to alter, to any considerable extent, the natural level of the liquid in the two arms of the U-tube, that is to say, the level of the liquid within and without the inverted cup E. The result is that when the shaft `S, the inverted cup E and the disk D are caused to revolve rapidly about the axis of the shaft S, the liquid seal'is very much more effective than when the shaft ris at rest, and it becomes possible to maintain great diii'erences of pressure within and without the vessel closed by. the cover T, without permitting any gas or vapor to pass through the liquid seal in either direction..

I do not limit myself to a smooth disk D but may use for the same purpose any reconical form, that' is to say,I flaring downwardly and outwardly, in which event, the liquid will be pressed with increased force volving elementV provided either with blades toward'that part of E which revolvesl at the l greatest distance from the axis of the shaft S, thus making the seal more effective.

It is of advantage to attach a disk d to the shaft S, belowv the cover T, and beneath the disk d and substantially inclosing it-is a drip cup c with a drain F, substantially as shown. The disk d revolves with the shaft S and eifectively prevents the passage of anygliquid or solid material entering the stuffing box from the vvessel closed by the cover T, or from the stuiiing box into the vessel closed by the cover T. This is due to the fact that the disk d prevents the direct passage of any liquid or solid material that maybe splashed against it; and, by the revolution |of the disk d. about the axis of the shaft S, any liquid or solid' matter that may be splashed, against or otherwise come in Contact with the disk al thrown ofi', into the drip cup o from'which it may be removed through the' pipe F.

In the drawings, I have shown thestuiiing box as substantially vertical, in which position it works best, but it may be operated at an angle from. the vertical, if particular conditionstof use make it'desirable to do so.

vllVhatIclaimis: M,

1. In a stuiling box for a rotary shaftcomprising a stationary sleeve surrounding the shaft and spaced therefrom, a second stationary sleeve surrounding the first sleeve, and spaced from said first sleeve throughout the length of the sleeves,v said sleeves beingjoined at one end to form an annular chamber, and a third sleeve attached to said shaft beyond the` open end of said.V chamber and projecting into said" chamber out of contact with both said sleeves, said chamber 4containing av sealing liquid whereby the length of column of sealing liquid is limited only by the length of said sleeves.

2. A stuing box for a rotary vertical shaft comprising a stationary sleeve surrounding said shaft and 4spaced itherefrom, a second stationary sleeve surrounding said rst mentioned sleeve, said sleeves being connected together at the bottom to form an annular chamber open at the' top, a third sleeve attached to said rotary shaft above the open end of said chamber and` projecting into said chamber and out of Contact with either of said sleeves, and a liquid seal in said chamber and extending upward on each side of the rotary sleeve to form a sealing column effectively equal to at least twice the depth of liquid in said chamber. i

A stuffing box for a rotary vertical shaft comprising a stationary disk surround-A ing said shaft havingv at its center a stationary .sleeve projecting upwardly around said,A shaft and out of contact therewith, a second stationary disk attached to the rst mentioned disk at'its periphery and spaced therefrom within the periphery to form a chamber; saidsecond disk having a sleeve surrounding the sleeve of the first mentioned disk and forminga vertical continuation of the chamber between the disks, and a third disk working in the chamber formed by the two stationary' disks and having an clon-f' 'gated hub attached to the shaft above` the `edges of the stationary disks, said chamber containing a sealing liquid extending up into the vertical portion of said chamber on either side of the hub of said rotary disk.

4,'A stuiing box for a rotary vertical shaft comprising. a stationary sleeve surrounding said shaft and spaced therefrom,

a second stationary sleeve surrounding said' first mentioned sleeve, said sleeves-being connected together at the bottom to form an annular chamber open at the top, a third sleeve attached to said rotary shaft above the open end of said chamber and projecting into said chamber and out of contact with either of said sleeves, a liquid seal in said chamber and extending upward on eachy side of the rotary sleeve to form a sealing columneiectively equal to at least twice the depthof liquid in said chamber, and means for cooling said stulng box consisting of a waterjacket or 'container inclosing said outer disk. i

5. A stufHng box for a rotatory shaft,`comprising a container` surrounding the shaft and separated therefrom by an intervening space, and containing a sealing liquid, a rotatory element mounted rupon the shaft and having a frictional surface immersed in the sealing liquid, a drip-cup to intercept accidental overiow of the sealing liquid into the receptacle in which the shaft operates,

and a disk mounted upon the shaft for MARTIN HILL `IfrrNER.

the drip- Witnesses: C. B. SGHROEDER, M. A. BILL. 

